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Daily News - 19 January 2000
President calls for consultations on leasing of colonial monuments
President Leonel Fernández instructed the Minister of Tourism to leave without effect the deadline for the granting of concessions to private sectors interested in leasing colonial monuments and ruins in Santo Domingo and the interior. He instructed the Minister to hold consultations at the Casa del Diálogo prior to resuming the plan to increase the number of businesses taking over the maintenance and operation of colonial edifices and monuments. The Ministry had announced that several monuments in Santo Domingo and the interior would be leased this month. These include the Ruinas de San Francisco, the Fortaleza Ozama, and the Fuerte San Felipe in Puerto Plata. Cardinal Nicolás de Jesús López Rodríguez opposed their leasing. Architectural groups, such as Icomos, said they had not been consulted. Those that favor the privatization say that the promoters of business would bring new life and help preserve the monuments. One successful privatization is that of the Fuerte San Gil, on the Malecón of Santo Domingo, where architect Emilio Brea created a café-restaurant under the stars and by the sea.
Moving ahead on the Pan American Village bid
Three companies, LH, Alfa and Agroman pre-qualified from six that had shown an interest in participating in the tender to build the Panamerican Olympic Village that is slated to go up across from the Banco Popular headquarters and diagonally across from the Juan Pablo Duarte Olympic Center at John F. Kennedy and San Martín avenues, according to a report in Hoy newspaper. The Pan American Village is designed to have eight towers of 23 floors each, for a total of 700 apartments that would lodge 5,000 athletes and coaches coming for the Santo Domingo Pan Am games in 2003. The towers are estimated to cost RD$700 to RD$1,000 million. They would go up on state-owned lands.
Virgen de la Altagracia painting exhibition
The Museum of Modern Art is exhibiting starting 27 de January 60 works by leading Dominican painters and photographers that render tribute to the Virgen de la Altagracia, the patron saint o the Dominican Republic. January 21 is Altagracia Day in the DR. The exhibition is entitled "La Altagracia-Jubileo 2000". Anthropologist Virginia Roca, of Evo-Art Gallery and the Fundación Espacios Caribe has organized the exhibition. After its showing at the MAM, it will go on tour of several provinces and later travel to cities in the US, Mexico and Cuba. Participating artists are Ramón Oviedo, Cándido Bidó, Guillo Pérez, Ada Balcacer, Cuquito Peña, Papo Peña, Geo Ripley, Desiree Domínguez, Carlos Acero, Polibio Díaz, Rosa Tavárez, Alberto Bass, Marianela Jiménez, Alejandro Cabra, Clara Barletta, Omar Rancier, Cecilia Casamajor, Milán Suero, Pablo Morel, Sor Altagracia, Fabio Domínguez, Danilo González, among others.
Congress convened to study Northwest aqueduct loan
President Fernández convened the legislative chambers so that can meet to study the US$161 million Brazilian financing secured for the construction of the Northwest Aqueduct. Congress was convened for 15 days. The normal congressional sessions are slated to begin 27 February. The project has met with strong local opposition. Opponents say the proposed project is overvalued by RD$800 million. They request that the government hold a public tender.
US to assist DR in combating drugs along the frontier
El Siglo newspaper reported that the US will boost its technical and financial help so that Dominican can be more effective at control drug contraband through the Dominican frontier with Haiti. US Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera visited President Leonel Fernández at the National Palace. US Ambassador Charles Manatt accompanied him. He said that the DR needs to reinforce the security along its frontier with Haiti to combat drug trafficking. He discussed alternatives so that US drug control agencies can collaborate with Dominican authorities to fight drug trafficking. Recently, US Secretary of Transport Rodney Slater visited President Fernández. During that visit, he told the press that the DR Navy under Rear Admiral Victor García Alecont has been successful had breaking the DR-Puerto Rico route used by drug traffickers. The drug route starts in Colombia, moves on to Haiti, and then to the DR from where it is shipped to Puerto Rico. With the DR-Puerto Rico connection down, the US now seeks to assist the DR at patrolling its frontier.
Dominicans optimistic about year 2000
The Listín Diario published results of the Sigma Dos-Gallup International poll carried out in 15 European and 10 Iberoamerican countries. Some 15,988 persons were in polled in Europe and 6,310 in Iberoamerica, including 500 in the DR. The DR leads in expectations for economic prosperity in 2000. 66% of Dominicans feel it will be a good year, followed by Venezuela with 59%, Chile 58%, Panama 45%, Ireland 39%, Argentina 38%, Uruguay 35%, Spain 32%, Sweden 32%, Colombia 31%, Peru 28%, Belgium 28%, Mexico 27%, North Ireland 26, Luxembourg 24%, Germany 23%, France 22%, Greece 22%, Great Britain 17%, Finland 16%, Italy 16%, Holland 16%, Denmark 15%, Ecuador 8% and Austria 6%.
Special report on Malaria in the DR
Given the many inquiries on malaria that DR1 has received on the message board and by email, this morning we interviewed Dr. Guillermo Gonzalvez, National Director of the Program Against Malaria of the Ministry of Public Health. Link to the report is at http://www.dr1.com/daily/malaria011900.shtml
Baseball playoffs
Playoffs (round robin) standings as of Monday, 17 January 2000
Estrellas 8-6 (.571)
Aguilas 7-7 (.500) -1 game
Leones 7-7 (.500) ­1 game
Tigres 6-8 (.428) -2 games

Remaining round robin games to choose the contenders for the finals are:

Wednesday, 19 January, 8 pm
Santo Domingo: Estrellas vs. Licey
Santiago: Escogido vs. Aguilas

Thursday, 20 January, 8 pm
Santo Domingo: Escogido vs. Licey
San Pedro: Aguilas vs. Estrellas
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